Thanks so much for sharing that PFK article, it's confirmed my thoughts on their size in captivity. Although, I must admit, it's hard to predict whether they'll stay small or if it's just their growth being stunted.
I actually spent some time on YouTube searching for videos of large boxfish, and the biggest I could find, both in captivity and in the wild, was around 6 inches. I'm still really keen to see a big one, they must be amazing to behold.
information on yellow box fish
Re: information on yellow box fish
I still can't believe that adorable little face could belong to a fish that grows up to be so large, it's just hard to imagine, lol.
Re: information on yellow box fish
I've got a little fella that's about 5" now, got him when he was tiny, just 1" long, a year ago. The small ones aren't the best swimmers, but once they get a bit bigger they're fine in a high flow tank, their tails are quite solid and the fins are good, mine zooms around the tank no problem. I'm guessing mine will probably finish up around 8" or so, but I could be wrong, who knows. As for the toxins, I don't think it's as big a deal as people make out, I knew someone who's little one got stuck to the powerhead and it wasn't damaged and didn't release anything, so I think it's pretty rare.
Re: information on yellow box fish
I was just wondering, bouldon, you said you expect yours to finish growing around 8" - just curious, what made you think that? And also, is your boxfish the yellow spotted one or a different species?
Re: information on yellow box fish
Just as a heads up for your planning, I had an experience with a tiny yellow spotted boxfish - it was literally less than 1cm square. What an adorable little fellow it was. Unfortunately, disaster struck when I came home one day to find it had been sucked onto one of my powerheads.
If you do decide to bring one of these cuties home, please make sure your powerheads and pump inlets are safe for them. My little guy wasn't the strongest swimmer, and I learned the hard way. After the incident, the fish seemed fine for a few days, but sadly, I found it dying on the sand the next morning. I quickly moved it to a quarantine tank, but unfortunately, it was too late. Thankfully, I didn't notice any die-off in the display tank - possibly due to the fish's small size.
Despite the sad outcome, I would definitely consider having one of these fish again. However, I would ensure my tank is large enough to accommodate an adult-sized yellow spotted boxfish, and I'd make sure all my pumps have guards to prevent any accidents.
If you do decide to bring one of these cuties home, please make sure your powerheads and pump inlets are safe for them. My little guy wasn't the strongest swimmer, and I learned the hard way. After the incident, the fish seemed fine for a few days, but sadly, I found it dying on the sand the next morning. I quickly moved it to a quarantine tank, but unfortunately, it was too late. Thankfully, I didn't notice any die-off in the display tank - possibly due to the fish's small size.
Despite the sad outcome, I would definitely consider having one of these fish again. However, I would ensure my tank is large enough to accommodate an adult-sized yellow spotted boxfish, and I'd make sure all my pumps have guards to prevent any accidents.